Author: Halima I. Hussein

Increasing water taxes amidst drought in Kenya: a case for reform

Effective 1st of October 2022, the Commissioner General of the Kenya Revenue Authority(KRA), published Legal Notice 176 of 2022, on 3rd of October 2022, further to his powers under the Excise Duty Act, 2015. The notice adjusts excise duty rate of a number of items by 6.3% in light of the inflation rate for the…

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Philanthropy: A stop-gap to climate finance and debt distress in Africa

Debt distress and default was a recurring concern raised by leaders at the 77th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York, this week. At $70.7 Billion, constituting almost 70% of Kenya’s GDP, the current debt stock reigns over any development agenda in the country. The latest Treasury figures indicate that 60% of all tax…

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Governance and the economy in Kenya: Who decides?

The just concluded Kenyan general elections of August 9, 2022, saw a 65% voter turnout- about 14.2 Million voters, the lowest in 15 years. The low figures have been attributed to voter apathy, mostly, the youth’s.   This is concerning given that the 2019 census found that the youth- those aged 35 years and below,…

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The Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2022: A paradigm shift in Kenya

In one of his last acts as the head of the Executive arm of government, President Kenyatta signed into law on 7th of July 2022 six parliamentary bills. One of these laws is the Sustainable Waste Management Act, 2022. The Act is the first of its kind to comprehensively deal with waste management in Kenya…

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Net-metering regulations in Kenya: What do you need to know?

The Kenya Energy Act, 2019, is coming alive. 2 weeks ago, the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority, the Kenyan energy regulator, published the Energy (Net-metering) Regulations, 2022, that seek to implement net metering provisions in the Act, for public participation. Attached to the regulations is a regulatory impact assessment, as required by the Statutory Instruments…

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Sudden deadly losses: A glimpse into the climate future

On the eve of Eidul fitr this week, flash floods in Wajir west and south in Kenya led to the loss of dozens of livestock. Since the rains began in late March, Wajir county has experienced the loss of about 700 livestock, and displaced hundreds. In India, billions are experiencing a climate emergency where temperature…

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The power of billionaires: Learning climate lessons from twitter

Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter once again reminds us how much power billionaires have to change the course of the world. His intentions are supposedly noble- he wants to change twitter from a forum of hate, an accusation that most social media platforms have been unable to shake off, to “the digital town square where…

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The spell of Kenya’s gold mines: addressing pollution and fatalities

In December 2021, 8 miners were trapped in an artisanal gold mine in Abimbo, Siaya County, Kenya after the mine collapsed. 6 were rescued, one died and the fate of the last miner, Tom Okwach, is uncertain as he still has not been found almost 4 months later, with rescue efforts left to his family…

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Where energy meets data: Resolving energy scarcity in Kenya

The long queues for fuel are back in Kenya, even after the government released KES 8.2 billion of the KES 13 Billion owed in subsidies to Kenyan oil marketers. (Oil marketers dispute this and claim back payments of over KES 20 Billion). The latest reports claim that marketers are uncertain which stocks the subsidy will…

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Rising fuel prices in Kenya: What do you need to know?

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Europe does have far reaching effects, as it has affected global oil prices driving them to their highest levels in nearly a decade. This is because Russia is the world’s largest oil exporter to global markets, according to the International Energy Agency. While most western nations including the US and…

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